State Unemployment Moves Up Slightly

(Story by Radio Iowa)

The state unemployment rate moved up one-tenth of a point in October to three percent. Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend says there’s been minimal movement the last several months and that probably due to the pending election as that anxiety impacted decisions on hiring, expanding and capital investments. Townsend says it is not good to see manufacturing lose 16-hundred jobs, but she says the industry is still strong. Townsend says the workers at the manufacturing facilities who are highly skilled in advanced manufacturing are instantly sought by other employers. She says those workers are not going to have as difficult a time finding a job as someone who is laid off, who may not have the same skills or experience.